The present invention relates to an actuator for operating the foot pedals of a motor vehicle with the aid of a servomotor.
In the course of functional and fatigue testing of a motor vehicle, it is customary to have appropriate robots perform the pedal and steering wheel movements, so that movement sequences of these devices are generated which correspond to a large extent to the actual sequences of the operation of the motor vehicle. As a rule, such devices consist of frames with arms that are hinged to each other in a lever-like manner and create these typical movements, and of actuating elements, which act on the respective operating elements, for example the gas pedal, and create the desired movement sequences.
Devices for operating at least one foot pedal, either the gas pedal or the brake pedal, are known from DE 39 40 588 A1 or EP 0 235 333 B1, which describe the arrangement of a drive robot on the driver""s seat. Hydraulically or pneumatically operating actuating elements are provided for operating the pedals, which require solid anchoring and support.
Only limited space is available in the lower area of the motor vehicle for the drive and actuating devices for performing the automatic operation of the gas pedal, the brake pedal and the clutch pedal, so that it is necessary to make optimal use of the available space.
The present invention provides an actuator that can selectively operate either the brake pedal, the clutch pedal, or the accelerator, or gas, pedal of a motor vehicle, has minimum space requirements and is cost-effective.
For this purpose, the invention provides an actuator for operating foot pedals of a motor vehicle, the actuator comprising: a servomotor having a motor shaft that is selectively rotatable in either one of two senses; and two actuating arms coupled to the servomotor, each actuating arm being adapted to operate a first one of the vehicle foot pedals in response to rotation of the motor shaft in a first one of the two senses and to operate a second one of the vehicle foot pedals in response to rotation of the motor shaft in a second one of the two senses.
The idea on which the invention is based resides in that either an actuating arm for one pedal or an actuating arm for another pedal is actuated, depending on the selection of the direction of rotation of the servomotor, so that a single common servomotor suffices for actuating two pedals.
In accordance with advantageous embodiments of the invention, first and second coupling elements, each in the form of an eccentric device and of a pin radially projecting away from the motor shaft, are provided, which cause this alternating action on respectively one actuating arm or the other.
A preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail, making reference to the drawings.